Academic Programs

For students contemplating a career in environmental health, there are numerous options for continued study both at Case Western Reserve University and nationwide. More information about these programs can be found below. 

Academic Programs at Case Western Reserve University

Courses in environmental health are offered to the university community through the Environmental Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Case Western Reserve University's MPH program provides a solid grounding in assessing the needs, strengths, and resources of diverse communities and populations, as well as the skills essential in meeting contemporary challenges. The program takes a broad view of health and wellness, drawing from experts in genetic epidemiology, health policy, prevention research and systems-based environmental health, among others.

CWRU’s Master of Public Health program is part of the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences in the School of Medicine. The program is guided by:

A comprehensive curriculum built on a foundation of traditional and emerging public health theory and practice
Service-based scholarship highlighted by the completion of a 9-credit hour Culminating Experience, including both a Practicum and Capstone
Commitment to diverse and multidisciplinary collaboration based on the conviction that the most effective public health outcomes occur through the development of relationships over time
A social justice orientation including the development of critical thinking and solution-finding capacity to ensure health equity, social action, and ethical conduct
The program offers a range of courses in quantitative sciences to support analysis and demonstrate outcomes. The program offers 5 concentrations and a research pathway for students looking to continue into a PhD program. The MPH Program has a two-year curriculum requiring 42 credit hours. Students have the option of enrolling part-time and must complete the program within five years. Eighteen core credits are accumulated in six core required courses, representing the fundamental domains of public health: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health services administration, public health history, and social and behavioral sciences.

Students will benefit from the robust network of community partners for internships or research opportunities. Settings include world-renowned health systems, departments of public health, and local health centers, as well as health collaborations abroad with communities in which we have had a presence for decades.

More information about the application process can be found HERE

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has issued numerous reports indicating that there has been no or minimal inclusion of environmental health sciences in the curriculum of US medical schools. The Swetland Center, at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine (CWRU SOM), has placed a priority on integrating environmental health science into all aspects of medical education. Swetland Center faculty member, Karen B. Mulloy, DO. MSCH, received a Scholar's Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Award to work with medical student Anisha Garg, Class of 2019 to incorporate environmental health into the medical school's Western Reserve 2 (WR2) Curriculum. This curricular integration incorporated environmental health learning objectives and concepts into the first two years of the medical student program. The project continues to evaluate the new curriculum and to expand opportunities for medical student learning experiences in the environmental health sciences. In their third and fourth years, students can focus their research experience on environmental health and pursue other environmental health learning goals through interaction with the Swetland Center faculty and research projects.

Nationwide Academic Programs

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
The Harvard School of Public Health trains hundreds of fellows each year across many academic departments, from cardiovascular medicine to occupational and environmental medicine. Programs support predoctoral healthcare professionals, fellows, residents, postdoctoral researchers and mid-career professionals.

Occupational Health Internship Program (OHIP)
This is a summer internship program for graduate and undergraduate students interested in occupational health. Students work with unions or social justice organizations to gain hands-on experience with workplace safety and health.

Summer Institute in Environmental Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
The school offers a summer institute in environmental health sciences designed to provide training on key topics relevant to the practice and application of environmental health.

School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University
The page offers links to a range of global health fellowships, some of which relate directly to environmental health.

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) is the leading professional organization for environmental health sciences in medicine. Their site maintains up-to-date information on residencies and fellowships in occupational and environmental medicine accredited by ACOEM. For general information, visit the ACOEM website. For a list of accredited residency programs across the U.S. and Canada, visit the AOEC training page.